WHAT THE
BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MUHAMMED (PEACE BE UPON HIM)
THE PROPHET
OF ISLAM
A lecture by Ahmed Deedat
SAY: "DO YOU SEE ? WHETHER THIS MESSAGE BE FROM
ALLAH (God Almighty), AND YET YOU REJECT IT, AND A WITNESS FROM
AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BORE WITNESS OF ONE LIKE
HIM......." (Holy Qur'an 46:10). (see note 1)
Mr.Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The subject of this evening's talk - "What the
BIBLE says about MUHAMMED" - will no doubt come as a surprise to
many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come
about that a Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the
Jewish and Christian Scriptures ?
As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a
series of religious lectures by a Chriatian theologian, a
certain Rev. Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal", Durban in South
Africa.
Pope or Kissinger?
This Reverend gentleman was expounding Biblical prophecies. He
went on to prove that the Christian Bible foretold the rise of
Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to the
extent of proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope
out of its predictions. He expatiated vigo rously in order to
convince his audience that the "Beast 666" mentioned in the Book
of Revelation the last book of the New Testament was the POPE,
who was the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is not befitting for us
Muslims to enter into this controversy between the Roman
Catholics and the Protestants. By the way, the latest Christia
exposition of the "Beast 666" of the Christian Bible is Dr.Henry
Kissinger(2). Christian scholars are ingenious and indefatigable
in their efforts to prove their case.
Rev. Hiten's lectures led me to ask that if the
Bible foretold so many things - not even excluding the "Pope"
and "Israel" - then surely it must have something to say about
the greatest benefactor of mankind(3) , the Holy Prophet
Muhammed (may the peace of Allah be upon him).
As a youngster I set out to search for an
answer. I met priest after priest, attended lectures, and read
everything that I could lay my hands relating to the fields of
Bible prophecies. Tonight I am going to narrate to you one of
these interviews with a dominee(4) of the Dutch Reformed Church.
Lucky Thirteen
I was invited to the Transvaal(5) to deliver a talk on the
occasion of Birthday celebration of the Holy Prophet Muhammed.
Knowing that in that province of the Republic, the Afrikaans
language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I
ought to acquire a smattering of this language so a s to feel a
little "at home" with the people. I opened the telephone
directory and began phoning the Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I
indicated my purpose to the priests that I was interested in
having a dialogue with them, but they all refused my request
with "Plausible" excuses. No.13 was my lucky number. The
thirteenth call brought me pleasure and relief. A dominee Van
Heerden agreed to meet me at his home on the Saturday afternoon
that I was to leave for Transvaal.
He received me on his verandah with a friendly
welcome. He said if I did not mind, he would like his
father-in-law from the Free State (a 70 year old man) to join us
in the discussion. I did not mind. The three of us settled down
in the dominee's library.
Why nothing?
I posed the question: "What does the Bible say about Muhummed?"
Without hesitation he answered, "Nothing!" I asked: "Why
nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible have so many
things to say about the rise of Soviet Russia and about the Last
Days and even about the Pope of the Roman Ca tholics?" He said,
"Yes, but there was nothing about Muhummed!" I asked again, "Why
nothing? Surely this man Muhummed who had been responsible for
the bringing into being a world-wide community of millions of
Believers who, on his authority, believe in:
(1) the miraculous birth of Jesus,
(2) that Jesus is the Messiah,(note 6)
(3) that he gave life to the dead by God's permission, and that
he healed those born blind and the lepers by God's permission.
Surely this book (the Bible) must have something
to say about this great Leader of men who spoke so well of Jesus
and his mother Mary?"
The old man from the Free State replied. "My
son, I have been reading the Bible for the past 50 years, and if
there was any mention of him, I would have known it."
Not One by name!
I enquired: "According to you, are there not hundreds of
prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament."
The dominee interjected: "Not hundreds, but thousands!" I said,
"I am not going to dispute the 'thousand and one' prophecies in
the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesu s Christ, because
the whole Muslim-world has already accepted him without the
testimony of any Biblical prophecy. We Muslims have accepted the
de facto Jesus on the authority of Muhummed alone, and there are
in the world today no less than 900,000,000 followers of
Muhummed who love, respect and rev ere Jesus Christ as a great
Messenger of God without having the Christians to convince them
by means of their Biblical dialectics. Out of the 'thousands' of
prophecies referred to, can you please give me just one single
prophecy where Jesus is mentioned by name? The term 'Messiah',
translated as 'C hrist', is not a name but a title. Is there a
single Prophecy where it says that the name of the Messiah will
be JESUS, and that his mother's name will be MARY, that his
supposed father will be JOSEPH THE CARPENTER; that he will be
born in the reign of HEROD THE KING, etc. etc.? No! There are no
su ch details! Then how can you conclude that those 'thousand'
Prophecies refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him)?"
What is Prophecy?
The dominee replies: "You see, prophecies are word-pictures of
something that is going to happen in the future. When that thing
actually comes to pass, we see vividly in these prophecies the
fulfilment of what had been predicted in the past." I said:
"What you actually do is that you deduce, yo u reason, you put
two and two together." He said: "Yes." I said: "If this is what
you have to do with a 'thousand' prophecies to justify your
claim with regards to the genuineness of Jesus, why should we
not adopt the very same system for Muhummed?" The dominee agreed
that it was a fair proposition , a reasonable way of dealing
with the problem.
I asked him to open up Deuteronomy, chapter 18,
verse 18, which he did. I read from memory the verse in
Afrikaans, because this was my purpose in having a little
practice with the language of the ruling race in South Africa.
(8)
'N PROFEET SAL EK VIR HULLE VERWEK UIT DIE MIDDE
VAN HULLE BROERS, SOOS JY IS, EN EK SAL MY WOORDE IN SY MOND LE,
EN HY SY SAL AAN HULLE SE ALLE WAT EK HOM BEVEEL. Deut.18: 18.
The English translation reads as follows:-
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their
brethren,
like unto thee,
and I will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
Deut.18:18.
Prophet Like Moses
Having recited the verse in Afrikaans, I apologised for my
uncertain pronunciation, The dominee assured me that I was doing
fine. I enquired: "To whom does this prophecy refer?" Without
the slightest hesitation he answered: "JESUS!" I asked: "Why
Jesus?... his name is not mentioned here." The domin ee replied:
"Since prophecies are word-pictures of something that is going
to happen in the future, we find that the wordings of this verse
adequately describe him. You see the most important words of
this prophecy are 'SOOS JY IS' (like unto thee), - LIKE YOU -
like Moses, and Jesus is like Moses. " I questioned: "In which
way is Jesus like Moses?" The answer was: "In the first place
Moses was a JEW and Jesus was also a JEW; secondly, Moses was a
PROPHET and Jesus was also a PROPHET - therefore Jesus is like
Moses and that is exactly what God had foretold Moses - "SOOS JY
IS". "Can you think of any other similarities between Moses and
Jesus?" I asked. The dominee said that he could not think of
any. I replied: "If these are the only two criteria for
discovering a candidate for this prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18,
then in that case the criteria could fit any one of the
following Biblica l personages after Moses:- Solomon, Isaiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist etc.,
because they were also ALL Jews as well as Prophets. Why should
we not apply this prophency to any one of these prophets, and
why only to Jesus? Why should we make fish of one and fowl of
anoth er?" The dominee had no reply. I continued: "You see, my
conclusions are that Jesus is most unlike Moses, and if I am
wrong I would like you to correct me."
Three Unlikes
So staying, I reasoned with him: "In the FIRST place Jesus is
not like Moses, because, according to you - 'JESUS IS A GOD',
but Moses is not God. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said:
"Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses! SECONDLY, according to you
- 'JESUS DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD', but Mose s did not
have to die for the sins of the world. Is this true?" He again
said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!
THIRDLY, according to you - 'JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS',
but Moses did not have to go there. Is this true?" He answered
meekly: "Y-e-s." I concluded: "Therefore Jesus is not like
Moses!" "But dominee," I continued: "these are not hard facts,
solid facts, they are mere matters of belief over which the
little ones can stumble and fall. Let us discuss something very
simple, very easy that if your little ones are called in to hear
the discussion, would have no difficulty in following it, shall
we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the suggestion.
Father and Mother
(1) "Moses had a father and a mother. Muhummed also had a father
and a mother. But Jesus had only a mother, and no human father.
Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "DAAROM IS JESUS NIE SOOS
MOSES NIE, MAAR MUHUMMED IS SOOS MOSES!" Meaning: "Therefore
Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is lik e Moses!" (By now
the reader will realise that I was using the Afrikaans language
only for practice purposes. I shall discontinue its use in this
narration).
Miraculous Birth
(2) "Moses and Muhummed were born in the normal, natural course,
i.e. the physical association of man and woman; but Jesus was
created by a special miracle. You will recall that we are told
in the Gospel of St.Matthew 1:18".....BEFORE THEY CAME
TOGETHER,(Joseph the Carpenter and Mary) SHE WAS FOUND WITH
CHILD BY THE HOLY GHOST.' And St.Luke tells us that when the
good news of the birth of a holy son was announded to her, Mary
reasoned:'.......HOW SHALL THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT A MAN? AND
THE ANGEL ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HER, THE HOLY GHOST SHALL COME
UPON THEE, AND THE POWER OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW
THEE:......'(Luke 1:35). The Holy Qur'an confirms the miraculous
birth of Jesus, in nobler and sublimer terms. In answer to her
logical question:
" O MY LORD! HOW SHALL I HAVE A SON WHEN NO MAN
HATH TOUCHED ME? "
The angel says in reply:
"EVEN SO:
ALLAH CREATETH WHAT HE WILLETH:
WHEN HE HATH DECREED A PLAN,
HE BUT SAITH TO IT "BE,"
AND IT IS " (9) (HOLY QUR'AN, 3:47).
It is not necessary for God to plant a seed in
man or animal. He merely wills it and it comes into being. This
is the Muslim conception of the of birth of Jesus.
(When I compared the Qur'an and the Biblical versions of the
birth of Jesus to the head of the Bible Society in our largest
City, and when I enquired: "Which version would you prefer to
give your daughter, the QUR'ANIC version or the BIBLICAL
version?" The man bowed his head and answered: "The Qur'anic.")
In short, I said to the dominee: "Is it true that Jesus was born
miraculously as against the natural birth of Moses and
Muhummed?"He replied proudly:"Yes!" I said:"Therefore Jesus is
not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses. And God says to
Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" (Like
You, Like Moses) and Muhummed is like Moses."
Marriage Ties
(3) "Moses and Muhummed married and begat children, but Jesus
remained a bachelor all his life. Is this true?" The dominee
said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but
Muhummed is like Moses."
Jesus Rejected by his People
(3) "Moses and Muhummed were accepted as prophets by their
people in their very lifetime. No doubt the Jews gave endless
trouble to Moses and they murmured in the wilderness, but as a
nation, they acknowledged that Moses was a Messenger of God sent
to them. The Arabs too made Muhummed's life imposs ible. He
suffered very badly at their hands. After 13 years of preaching
in Mecca, he had to emigrate from the city of his birth. But
before his demise, the Arab nation as a whole accepted him as
the Messenger of Allah. But according to the Bible: 'He (Jesus)
CAME UNTO HIS OWN, BUT HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.' (John 1:11).
And even today, ofter two thousand years, his people- the Jews,
as a whole, have rejeted him. Is this true?" The dominee said:
"Yes." I said: "THEREFORE JESUS IS NOT LIKE MOSES, BUT MUHUMMED
IS LIKE MOSES."
"Other-Wordly" Kingdom
(5) "Moses and Muhummed were prophets as well as kings. A
prophet means a man who receives Divine Revelation for the
Guidance of Man and this Guidance he conveys to God's creatures
as received without any addition or deletion. A king is a person
who has the power of life and death over his people. It is
immaterial whether the person wears a crown or not, or whether
he was ever addressed as king or monarch: if the man has the
prerogative of inflicting capital punishment - HE IS A KING.
Moses possessed such a power. Do you remember the Israelite who
was found picking up firewood on Sabbath Day , and Moses had him
stoned to death? (Numbers- 15:13). There are other crimes also
mentioned in the Bible for which capital punishment was
inflicted on the Jews at the behest of Moses. Muhummed too, had
the power of life and death over his people. There are instances
in the Bible of persons who wer e given gift of prophecy only,
but they were not in a position to implement their directives.
Some of these holy men of God who were helpless in the face of
stubborn rejection of their mesage, were the prophets lot,
Jonah, Daniel, Ezra, and John the Baptist. They could only
deliver the message, but could not enforce the Law. The Holy
Prophet Jesus (Peace b.u.h) also belonged to this category. The
Christian Gospel clearly confirms this: when Jesus was dragged
before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, Charged for sedition,
Jesus made a convincing point in his defence to refute the false
charg e: JESUS ANSWERED, "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD': IF
MY KINGDOM WERE OF THIS WORLD, THEN WOULD MY SERVANTS FIGHT,
THAT I SHOULD NOT BE DELIVERED TO THE JEWS; BUT NOW IS MY
KINGDOM NOT FROM HENCE"(John 18:36) This convinced Pilate (A
Pagan) that though Jesus might not be in full possessio n of his
mental faculty, he did not strike him as being a danger to his
rule. Jesus claimed a spiritual Kingdom only; in other words he
only claimed to be a Prophet. Is this true?" The dominee
answered:"Yes." I said:"Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but
Muhummed is like Moses."
No New Laws
(6) "Moses and Muhummed brought new laws and new regulations for
their people. Moses not only gave the Ten Commandments to the
Israelites, but a very comprehensive ceremonial law for the
guidance of his people. Muhummed comes to a people steeped in
barbarism and ignorance. They married their step-m others; they
buried their daughters alive; drunkenness, adultery, idolatry,
and gambling were the order of the day. Gibbon describe the
Arabs before Islam in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire", THE HUMAN BRUTE, ALMOST WITHOUT SENSE, IS POORLY
DISTINGUISHED FROM THE REST OF THE ANIMAL CREATI ON.' There was
hardly anything to distinguish between the "man" and the
"animal" of the time; they were animals in human form.
"From this abject barbarism, Muhummed elevated
them, in the words of Thomas Carlysle, 'into torch-bearers of
light and learning.' 'TO THE ARAB NATION IT WAS AS A BIRTH FROM
DARKNESS INTO LIGHT. ARABIA FIRST BECAME ALIVE BY MEANS OF IT. A
POOR SHEPHERD PEOPLE, ROAMING UNNOTICED IN ITS DESERTS SINCE THE
CREATION OF THE WORLD. SEE, THE UNNOTICED BECOMES WORLD NOTABLE,
THE SMALL HAS GROWN WORLD-GREAT. WITHIN ONE CENTURY AFTERWARDS
ARABIA WAS AT GRANADA ON ONE HAND AND AT DELHI ON THE OTHER.
GLANCING IN VALOUR AND SPLENDOUR, AND THE LIGHT OF GENIUS,
ARABIA SHINES OVER A GREA SECTION OF THE WORLD. ...' The fact is
that Muhummed gave his people a Law and Order they never had
before.
"As regards Jesus, when the Jews felt suspicious
of him that he might be an imposter with designs to pervert
their teachings, Jesus took pains to assure them that he had not
come with a new religion - no new laws and no new regulations. I
quote his own words: 'THINK NOT THAT IAM COME TO DESTROY THE
LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: IAM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL.
FOR VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, ONE JOT
OR ONE TITLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, TILL ALL BE
FULFILLED.'(Mathew 5:17-18). In other words he had not come with
any new laws or regulation he came only to fulfil the old law.
This what he gave the Jews tounderstand- unless he was speaking
with the tongue in his cheek trying to bluff the Jews into
accepting him as a man of God and by subterfuge trying to ram a
new religion down their throats. No! This Messenger of God would
never resort to such foul means to subvert the Religion of God.
He himself fulfilled the laws. He observed the commandments of
Moses, and he respected the Sabbath. At no time did a single Jew
point a finger at him to say, 'why don't you fast' or 'why don't
you wash yourhands before you break bread',which charges they al
wasy levied against his disciples, but never against Jesus. This
is because as a good Jew he honoured the laws of the prophets
who preceded him. In short, he had created no new religion and
had brought no new law like Moses and Muhummed. Is this true?" I
asked the dominee, and he answered: "Yes." I said:"Therefore,
Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
How they Departed
(7) "Both Moses and Muhummed died natural deaths, but according
to Christianity, Jesus was violently killed on the cross.(10) Is
this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I averred: "Therefore Jesus
is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
Heavenly Abode
(8) "Moses and Muhummed both lie buried in earth, but according
to you, Jesus in heaven. Is this true?" The dominee agreed. I
said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like
Moses."
Ishmael The First Born
Since the dominee was helplessly agreeing with every point, I
said, "Dominee, so far what I have done is to prove only one
point out of the whole prophecy- that is proving the phrase
'LIKE UNTO THEE' - 'Like You' 'Like Moses'. The Prophecy is much
more than this single phrase which reads as follows : "I WILL
RAISE THEM UP A PROPHET FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN LIKE UNTO
THEE......." The emphasis is on the words- "From among their
brethren." Moses and his people, the Jews, are here addressed as
a racial entity, and as such their 'brethren' would undoubtedly
be the arabs. You see, the Holy Bible s peaks of Abraham as the
"Friend of God". Abraham had two wives - Sarah and Hagar. Hagar
bore Abraham a son - HIS FIRST-BORN- '......And Abraham(11)
called HIS SON'S name, which Hagar bare Ishmael.' (Genesis
16:15). 'And Abraham took Ishmael HIS SON......" (Genesis
17:23). 'And Ishmael HIS SON was thirteen years old, when he
wascircumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.'(Genesis 17:25). Up
to the age of THIRTEEN Ishmael was the ONLY son and sed of
Abraham, when the covenant was ratified between God and Abraham.
God grants Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, wh o
was very much the junior to his brother Ishmael.
Arabs and Jews
If Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same father Abraham,
then they are brothers. And so the children of the one are the
BRETHREN of the children of the other. The children of Isaac are
the Jews and the Children of Ishmael are the Arabs - so they are
BRETHREN to one another. The Bible affirms, 'AND HE (ISHMAEL)
SHALL DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS BRETHREN.' (Genesis
16:12). 'AND HE (ISHMAEL) DIED IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS
BRETHREN.(Genesis 25:18). The children of Isaac are the brethren
of the Ishmaelites. In like manner Muhummed is from among the
brethren of the Israeli tes beause he was a descendant of
Ishamel the son of Abraham. This exactly as the prophecy has it-
'FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN'.(Deut.18:18). There the prophecy
distinctly mentions that the coming prophet who would be like
Moses, must arise NOT from the 'children of Israel' or from
'among the mselves', but from among their brethren. MUHUMMED
THEREFORE WAS FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN!
Words in the Mouth
"The prophecy proceeds further:'.......AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS
INTO HIS MOUTH.......' What does it mean when it is said 'I will
put my words in your mouth'? You see, when I asked you (the
dominee) to open Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18, at the
beginning, and if I had asked you to read, and if you had read:
would I be putting my words into your mouth?" The dominee
answered: "No." "But," I continued: "If I were to teach you a
language like Arabic about which you have no knowledge, and if I
asked you to read or repeat after me what I utter i.e.:
"SAY: HE IS ALLAH THE ONE AND ONLY;
ALLAH, THE ETERNAL ABSOLUTE;
HE BEGETTETH NOT, NOR IS HE BEGOTTEN:
AND THERE IS NONE LIKE UNTO HIM.
(Holy Qur'an 112:1-4)( I read them in Arabic )
Would I not be putting these unheard words of a
foreign tongue which you utter, into your mouth?" The dominee
agreed that it
was indeed so. In an identical manner, I said, the words of the
Holy Qur'an, the Revelation vouchsafed by the Almighty God to
Muhummed, were revealed.
History tells us that Muhummed was forty years
of age. He was in a cave some three miles north of the City of
Mecca. It was
the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadaan. In the cave the
Archangel Gabriel commands him in his mother tongue:'IQRA'
which means READ! or PROCLAIM! or RECITE! Muhummed w as
terrified and in his bewilderment replied that he was not
NOT LEARNED! The angel commands him a second time with the same
result. For the third time the angel continues.
Now Muhummed, grasps, that what was required of
him was to repeat! to rehearse! And he repeats the words as they
were
put into his mouth:
"READ! IN THE NAME OF THE LORD AND CHERISHER,
WHO CREATED-
CREATED MAN, FROM A (MERE) CLOT OF CONGEALED BLOOD:
READ! AND THY LORD IS MOST BOUNTIFUL,-
HE WHO TAUGHT (THE USE OF) THE PEN,
TAUGHT MAN THAT WHICH HE KNEW NOT".
(Holy Qur'an 96:1-5)
These are the first five verses which were
revealed to Muhummed which now occupy the beginning of the 96th
chapter of the
Holy Qur'an.
The Faithful Witness
Immediately the angel had departed, Muhummed rushed to his home.
Terrified and sweating all over he asked his beloved wife
Khadija to 'cover him up!' He lay down, and she watched by him.
When he had regained his composure, he explained to her
what he had seen and heard. She assured him of her faith in him
and that Allah would not allow any terrible thing to happen to
him. Are these the confessions of an imposter? Would imposters
confess that when an angel of the Lord confronts them with a
Message from on High, they get fear-stricken, terrified, and
sweating all over, run home to their wives? Any critic can see
that
his reactions and confessions are that of an honest, sincere
man, the man of Truth- 'AL-AMIN' - THE Honest, the Upright, the
Truthful. During the next twenty-three years of his prophetic
life, words were 'Put into his mouth', and he uttered them. They
made an indeliable imp ression on his heart and mind: and as the
volume of the Sacred Scripture (Holy Qur'an) grew, they were
recorded on palm-leaf libre, on skins and on the shoulder-blades
of animals; and in the hearts of his devoted disciples. Before
his demise these words were arranged according to his
instructions i n the order in which we find them to-day in the
Holy
Qurann.
The words (revelation) were actually put into
his mouth, exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discusiion:
'AND I WILL
PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH.'(Deut. 18:18).
Un-lettered Prophet
Muhummed's experience in the cave of Hira, later to be known as
Jabal-un Noor - The Mountain of Light, and his response to
that first Revelation is the exact fulfilment of another
Biblical Prophecy. In the Book of Isaish. Chapter 29, verse 12,
we read:
"AND THE BOOK" (al-Kitaab,al-Quran the 'Readin g', the
'Recitation') "IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT
LEARNED," (Isaiah 29:12) "THE UNLETTERED PROPHET " (Holy Qur'an
7:158) and the biblical verse continues :
"SAYING, READ THIS, I PRAY THEE:" (the words "I pray thee", are
not in the Hebrew manuscripts; compare with the
Roman Cathol ics' "Douay Version and also with the "Revised
Standard Versions") "AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT
LEARNED." ("I am not learned." is the exact translation of the
Arabic words which Muhummed uttered twice to the Holy
Ghose - the Archangel Gabriel, when he was commanded : "READ!").
Let me quote the verse in full without a break
as found in the "King James Version," or the "Authorised
version" as it is more
popularly know "AND THE BOOK IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT
LEARNED, SAYING, READ THIS I PRAY
THEE: AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." (Isaiah 29:12).
Important note :
It may be noted that there were no Arabic Bibles(12) in
existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when Muhummed
lived and preachedl Besides, he was absolutely unlettered and
unlearned. No human had ever taught him a word. His teacher
was his Creator:
"HE DOES NOT SPEAK (AUGHT), OF (HIS OWN) DESIRE:
IT IS NO LESS THAN INSPIRATION SENT DOWN TO HIM:
HE WAS TAUGHT BY ONE MIGHTY IN POWER,"
(Holy Qur'an 53:3-5).
Without any human learning, 'he put to shame the
wisdom of the learned'.
Grave Warning
"See!" I told the dominee, "how the prophecies fit Muhummed like
a glove. We do not have to stretch prophecies to justify their
fulfilment in Muhummed."
The dominee replied, "All your expositions sound
very well, but they are of no real consequence, because we
Christians have
Jesus Christ the "incarnate" God, who has redeemed us from the
Bondage of Sin!"
I asked, "Not important?" God didn't think so!
He went to a great deal of trouble to have His warnings
recorded. God knew
that there would be people like you who will flippantly,
light-heartedly discount his words, so he followed up
Deuteronomy
18:18 with a dire warning: "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, " (it is
going to happen) "THAT WHOSOEVER WILL NOT
HEARKEN UNTO MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME, I WILL
REQUIRE IT OF HIM. (in the
Catholic Bible the ending words are - "I will be the revenger",
I will take vengeance from him - I will take revenge!) "Does not
this terrify you? God Almighty is threathening revenge! We shake
in our pants if some hoodlum threathens us, yet you have no
fear of God's warning?"
"Miracle of Miracles! in the verse 19 of
Deuteronomy chapter 18, we have a further fulfilment of the
prophecy in Muhummed!
Note the words-'.....MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME,"
In whose name is Muhummed speaking?"
I opened Yusuf Ali's translation of the Holy Qur'an, at chapter
114- 'Sura Nas', or Mankind - the last chapter, and showed him
the formula at the head of the charpter: and the meaning: "IN
THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST
MERCIFUL." And the heading of chapter 113: and the meaning: "IN
THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST
MERCIFUL". And every chapter downwards 112 , 111, 110.......was
the same formula and the same meaning on every page,
because the end SURAS (chapters) are short and take about a page
each.
"And what did the prophecy demand?' ......WHICH
HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME and in whose name does
Muhummed speak?'IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS MOST
MERCIFUL.' The Prophecy is being fulfilled in
Muhummed to the letter "Every chapter of the Holy Qur'an except
the 9th begin with the formula: IN TH E NAME OF GOD,
MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL.' The Muslim begins his every
lawful act with the Holy formula. But the Christian
begins: "In the name of the Father, son and holy ghost.'"(13)
Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have
given you more than 15 reasons as to how this prophecy refers to
Muhummed and NOT to Jesus.
Baptist Contradicts Jesus
In New Testament times, we find that the Jews were still
expecting the fulfilment of the prophecy of 'ONE LIKE MOSES',
refer John 1:19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the
Jews,the Jews began to enquire as to where was Elias? The
Jews had a parallel prophecy that before the coming of the
Messiah, Elias must come first in his second coming. Jesus
confirms
this Jewish belief:
".......ELIAS TRULY SHALL FIRST COME, AND
RESTORE ALL THINGS. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT ELIAS
IS COME ALREADY, AND THEY KNEW HIM NOT,...THEN THE DISCIPLES
UNDERSTOOD THAT HE SPAKE
UNTO THEM OF JOHN THE BAPTIST."(Matthew 17:11-13). According to
the New Testament the Jews were not the
ones to s wallow the words of any would-be Messiah. In their
investigations they underwent intense difficulties in order to
find
their true Messiah. And this the Gospel of John confirms: "AND
THIS IS THE RECORD OF JOHN,"(the Baptist) "WHEN
THE JEWS SENT PRIESTS AND LEVITES FROM JERUSALEM TO ASK HIM, WHO
ART THOU? AND HE
CONFESSED AND DENIED NOT; BUT CONFESSED, I AM NOT THE CHRIST."
(This was only natural because there
can't be two Messiahs (14) at the same time. If Jesus was the
Christ then John couldn't be the Christ!) "AND THEY ASKED
HIM, WHAT THEN? ART THOU ELIAS? AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT." (Here
Joh n the Baptist contradicts Jesus! Jesus
says that John is "Elias" and John denies that he is what Jesus
ascribes him to be. One of the TWO (Jesus or John), God
forbid!, is difinitely not speaking the TRUTH! On the testimony
of Jesus himself, John the Baptist was the greatest of the
Israelite prophet s:"VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, AMOUNG THEM THAT ARE
BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS
NOT RISENA GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST:... (Matthew 11:11).
We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrut
YAHYAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him). We revere him as a
true
prophet of Allah. The Holy Prophet Jesus known to us as Hazrut
ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also esteemed
as one of the mightiest messenger of the Almighty. How can we
Musl ims impute lies to either of them? We leave this problem
between Jesus and John for the Christians to solve, for their
"sacred scriptures abound in discrepancies which they have been
glossing over as the "dark sayings of Jesus"(15). We Muslims are
really interested in the last questions posed to Jo hn the
Baptist by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT PROPHET? AND HE
ANSWERED, NO."(John 1:21)
Three Questions!
Please note that three different and distinct questions were
posed to John the Baptist and to which he gave three emphatic
"NO'S" as answers. To recapitulate:-
1) ART THOU THE CHRIST?
2) ART THOU ELIAS?
3) ART THOU THAT PROPHET?
But the learned men of Christendom somehow only
see two questions implied here. To make doubly clear that the
Jews
definitely had T-H-R-E-E separate prophecies in their minds when
they were interogating John the Baptist, let us read the
remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following:
"AND THEY ASKED HIM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHEY
BAPTIZEST THOU THEN, IF THOU BE
a) NOT THAT CHRIST,
b) NOR ELIAS,
c) NEITHER THAT PROPHET?"
(John 1:25)
The Jews were waiting for the fulfilment of
THREE distinct prophecies: One, the coming of CHRIST. Two the
coming of
ELIAS, and Three, the coming of THAT PROPHET.
"That Prophet"
If we look up any Bible which has a concordance or
cross-references, the we will find in the marginal note where
the words
"the Prophet", or "that Prophet" occur in John 1:25, that these
words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. And
that 'that prophet' - 'the prophet like Moses' - "L IKE UNTO
THEE", we have proved through overwhelming evidence that he
was MUHUMMED and not Jesus!
We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the
"Messiah", which word is translated as "Christ".(16) We are not
contesting the
"thousand and one prophecies" which the Christians claim abound
in the Old Testament foretelling the coming of the Messiah.
What we say is that Deuteronomy 18:18 does NOT ref er to Jesus
Christ but it is an explicit prophecy about the Holy Prophet
MUHUMMED!"
The dominee, very politely parted with me by
saying that it was a very interesting discussion and he would
like me very much to
come one day and address his congregation on the subject. A
decade and half has passed since then but I am still awaiting
that
privilege.
I believe the dominee was sincere when he made
the offer, but prejudices die hard and who would like to loose
his sheep?
The Acid Test
To the lambs of Christ I say, why not apply that acid test which
the Master himself wanted you to apply to any would be
claimant to prophethood? He had said: "BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL
KNOW THEM. DO MEN GATHER GRAPES
FROM THE THORNS, OR FIGS FROM THE THISTLES? EVERY GOOD TREE WILL
BEAR GOOD FRUIT AN D
EVERY EVIL TREE WILL BEAR EVIL FRUIT....BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL
KNOW THEM. (Matthew 7:16-20).
Why are you afraid to apply this test to the
teachings of Muhummed? You will find in the Last Testament of
God - the Holy
Qur'an - the true fulfilment of the teachings of Moses and Jesus
which will bring to the world the much-needed peace and
happiness. "IF A MAN LIKE MOHAMED WERE TO ASSUME THE DIC
TATORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD,
HE WOULD SUCCEED IN SOLVING ITS PROBLEMS THAT WOULD BRING IT THE
MUCH NEEDED PEACE
AND HAPPINESS."(George Bernard Shaw)
The Greatest!
The Weekly Newsmagazine "TIME" dated July 15, 1974, carried a
selection of opinions by various historians, writers, military
men, businessmen and others on the subject: "Who Were History's
Great Leaders?" Some said that it was Hitler; others
said-Gandhi, Buddha, Lincoln and the like. But Jules Mass erman,
a United States psychoanalyst put the standards straight by
giving the correct criteria wherewith to judge. He said:
"LEADERS MUST FULFIL THREE FUNCTIONS:-
(1) Provide for the well-being of the led,
(2) Provide a social organization in which people feel
relatively secure
and
(3) Provide them with one set of beliefs."
With the above three criteria he searches
history and analyses - Hitler, Pasteur, Gaesar, Moses, Confucius
and the lot, and
ultimately concludes:
"PEOPLE LIKE PASTEUR AND SALK ARE LEADERS IN THE
FIRST SENSE. PEOPLE LIKE GANDHI AND
CONFUCIUS, ON ONE HAND, AND ALEXANDER, CAESAR AND HITLER ON THE
OTHER, ARE LEADERS IN
THE SECOND AND PERHAPS THE THIRD SENSE. JESUS AND BUDDHA BELONG
IN THE THIRD CATEGORY
ALONE. PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS MOHAMMED,
WHO COMBINED ALL
THREE FUNCTIONS. To a lesser degree, MOSES DID THE SAME."
According to the objective standards set by the
Professor of the Chicago University, whome I believe to be
Jewish, - JESUS
and BUDDHA are now - here in the picture of the "Great Leaders
of Mankind", but by a queer coincidence groups Moses and
Muhummed together thus adding further weight to the argu ment
that JESUS is not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like
MOSES: Deut.18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" - Like MOSES!
In conclusion, I end with a quotation of a
Christian Reverend the commentator of the Bible, followed by
that of his Master:
"THE ULTIMATE CRITERION OF A TRUE PROPHET IS THE
MORAL CHARACTER OF HIS
TEACHING."(Prof.Dummelow.)
"BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM." (Jesus
Christ)
A concluding suggestion : Come let us reason
together !
SAY:"O PEOPLE OF THE BOOK!
COME TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND YOU:
THAT WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD;
THAT WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNERS WITH HIM;
THAT WE ERECT NOT, FROM AMONG OURSELVES,
LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD."
IF THEN THEY TURN BACK,
SAY:"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST)
ARE MUSLIMS (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL)."
(Holy Qur'an 3:64)
"PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" is the respectful title
given to the Jews and the Christians in the Holy Qur'an. The
Muslims is here
commanded to invite - "O People of the Book!" - O Learned
People! O People who claim to be the recipients of Divine
Revelation, of a Holy Scripture; let us gather together onto a
common platform - "that we worship none but God", because
none but God is worthy of worship, not because "THE LORD THY GOD
IS A JEALOUS GOD VISITING THE INIQUITY
OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH
GENERATION OF THEM THAT
HATE ME."(Exodus 20:25). But because He is ou r Lord and
Cherisher, our Sustainer and Evolver, worthy of all praise,
prayer and devotion.
In the abstract the Jews and the Christians
would agree to all the three propositions contained in this
Qur'anic verse. In practice
they fail. Apart from doctrinal lapses from the unity of the One
True God, (ALLAH_ Subha-nahu wa ta-ala) there is the
question of a consecrated Priesthood (among the J ews it was
hereditary also), as if a mere human being - Cohe or Pope, or
Priest, or Brahuman, - could claim superiority apart from his
learning and the purity of his life, or could stand between man
and
God in some special sense. ISLAM DOES NOT RECOGNISE PRIESTHOOD!
The Creed of Islam is given to us here in a
nutshell from Holy Qur'an:
Say ye: "We believe in Allah,
And the revelation given to us,
And to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac,
Jacob, and the Tribes,
And that given to Moses and Jesus
And that given to (all)
Prophets from their Lord:
We make no difference
Between one and another of them:
And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."
(Holy Qur'an 2:136).
The Muslim position is clear. The Muslim does
not claim to have a religion peculiar to himself. Islam is not a
sect or an ethnic
religion. In its view all Religion is one, for the Truth is one.
IT WAS THE SAME RELIGION PREACHED BY ALL THE
EARLIER PROPHETS. (Holy Qur'an 42:13). It was the truth taug ht
by all the inspired Books. In essence it amounts to a
consciousness of the Will and Plan of God and a joyful
submission to that Will and Plan. IF ANYONE WANTS A
RELIGION OTHER THAN THAT, HE IS FALSE TO HIS OWN NATURE, AS HE
IS FALSE TO GOD'S WILL AND
PLAN. Such a one cannot expect guidance, for he has deliberately
renounced guidance.
NOTES
(1) This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos.
4783/4 to this verse.
(2) Christian exegesists give progressive
numerical values by sixes, to the English alphabet and add up to
get the total 666.
i.e.A=6,B=12,C=18, D=24 and so on. Progression by 6's because
the number of the Beast in the Bible is "666". Try it for
Dr.Kissinger.
(3) The writer has just delivered another talk
in the City Hall, Durban on the 10th December, 1975 on the
subject "Muhummed
the Greatest".
(4) "Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of
priest, parson and predikant.
(5) One of the Provinces of the Republic of
South Africa.
(6) The word "Messiah" comes from the Arabic and
Hebrew word masaha which means to rub, to massage, to annoint.
The
religious significance is "the one who is anointed' - priests
and kings were anointed in consecration to their offices.
Messiah
translated Christ does not mean God. Even the heathen C yrus is
called "Christ" in the Bible, (Isaiah 45:1)
(7) Muhummed is mentioned by name in the Song of
Solomn 5:16. The Hebrew word used there is Muhammuddim. The end
letters IM is plural of respect majesty and grandeur. Minus "im"
the name would be Muhamudd translated as "altogether lovely"
in the Authorised Version of the Bible or 'The Praised One' 'the
one worthy of Praise' i.e. MUHUMMED!
(8) If this lecture is translated into any
language, please change the Afrikaans words into the local
dialect; and do not try a free
hand translation of the Biblical quotation. Obtain a Bible in
the language in which translation is being made and transcribe
exactly
as the words occur in that Bible.
(9) Please open the Holy Qur'an 3:42 and 19:16
where the birth of Jesus is spoken about; read it with the
commentry, note the
high position which Jesus and his mother occupy in Islam.
(10) Write for "Was Christ Crucified?" by the
writer, free on request.
(11) According to the Bible Abraham's name was
Abram before it was changed by God to Abraham.
(12) There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen
different scripts and dialects for the Arabs alone. See "The
Gospels in many
tongues", obtainable from the Bible Society.
(13) The Christian theologians are ignorant of
even the "name of God. Because "God" is not a name, and "Father"
is also not a
name. What's his name? See "Muhummed-the Natural Successor to
Christ", by the author, available free.
(14) The Jews were expecting a single Messiah
not two.
(15) See the "TIMES" Magazine December 30th,
1974, article "How true is the Bible?" And write for your free
copy of
"50,000 Errors in the Bible? a reproduction from the Christian
Magazine "AWAKE!" September 8, 1957.
(15) How the word Messiah was transmuted to
Christ? Write for booklet above, reference 13.
END OF
LECTURE
NOW :
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4- What was the Sign of Jonah?
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6- Who Moved the Stone?7- What the Bible says about Muhammed (PBUH)
8- Muhammed (PBUH) The Natural Successor to Christ (PBUH)
9- Muhammed (PBUH) the Greatest
10-Arabs and Israel -- Conflict or Conciliation?
11-Al-Qur'an -- The Miracle of Miracles
12-The God that Never Was
13-Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction?
14-The Muslim at Prayer
15-Muhammed (PBUH) the Prophet of Islam
16-Way to the Qur'an
17-"Salaah" -- The Muslim Prayer
18-Resurrection or Resuscitation?
19-Muhammed (PBUH) No. 1 with a chapter by Michael Hart
20-Combat Kit
21-The Choice - Islam and Christianity
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